Time Marches

Korland

Population: 2,000,000Ruler: King Kor ir’WynarnCapital: Galethspyre

Korland is a military dictatorship formed in the western half of what was formerly Brelish territory by the previous king of Breland’s brother, Kor ir’Wynarn. It was founded following the Brelish Civil War, resulting from a treaty made with Bortan ir’Wynarn, Boranel’s second son and heir apparent, and the Brelish Parliament.

History

In 1000 YK, the king of Breland, Boranel ir’Wynarn, passed away from injuries sustained during the Starpeaks Invasion. While Boranel had never explicitly named an heir, Brelish tradition dictated that rule should pass to his eldest son, Aejar. The Brelish Parliament, however, was divided on the matter. The feudal ministers believed that Aejar was too weak and timid to take the throne, and instead favoured Boranel’s second son and minister of finance Bortan. Meanwhile, the elected ministers desired Aejar as king for exactly the same reason: they wanted a weak ruler they could prop up and quickly knock down in order to abolish the monarchy.

The matter was hotly debated in the Brelish Parliament for months, and was only further complicated when Boranel’s younger brother Kor, leader of the King’s Citadel, returned from a long stay on the border with Droaam, demanding that the throne be given to him. During his time on the borders, Kor picked up a number of allegiances and mercenary contracts, and threatened war on Breland if he did not get what was his right to have.

This ultimately led to the Brelish Civil War, pitting Aejar, Bortan, and Kor against one another. Bortan is believed to have assassinated Aejar and managed to take much of “civilized” eastern Breland, while Kor’s march took a huge portion of the west. Once the territories were established, the war became a stalemate, leading to a lot of bloodshed and very little ground gained on either side.

The Civil War ended with a treaty drafted by the Parliament, and agreed upon by both Kor and Bortan, which effectively permitted Kor to keep the lands he took in western Breland. The lands he took were renamed “Korland,” recognized by the treaty and, by extension, Breland, in 1001 YK.

Society & Culture

Kor studied at the Rekkenmark Academy in his youth, and has held a martial viewpoint ever since. His kingdom is styled after the ruling advice given in Karrn the Conqueror’s Analects of War, making the state of Korland a highly militaristic regime — perhaps even more so than Karrnath. Korland has mandatory military service for all citizens from the ages of 18 to 25, and from there highly incentivizes continued military service.

Despite its relatively low population, Korland has achieved a massive military per-capita in this way. Whether this is an effective approach remains to be seen.